Artillery-carriage.



W. MAYER.

ARTILLERY CARRIAGE.

APPLIOATION IILED OOT.10, 1910.

Patented May 27, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT WILHELM MAYER, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KBUPP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-TI-IE-RUHB, GERMANY.

ARTILLERY-CARRIAGE.

noeaosr.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILHELM MAYER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artillery-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to artillery vehicles consisting of a two-wheeled front carriage and having coupled therewith a twowheeled hind carriage.

In a vehicle of the above mentioned kind the invention herein consists primarily in that the member connecting the front carriage with the rear carriage has striking faces which prevent any tilting of the front carriage around its wheel axle, and secondarily in that the pole of the front carriage is yieldingly attached thereto.

In the accompanying drawing the inven tion is, as an instance, represented in its application on an artillery vehicle consisting of a limber and a caisson. In the views shown therein :-Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a detail in plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal section on an enlarged scale and Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section of Fig. 3.

A is the (two-wheeled) limber behind which the caisson is coupled. The wheelaXle E is carried in the frame work D on which rests the limber-box C. The pole or tongue F is yieldingly attached to the frame work D in a manner described later on. The weight of the above mentioned part of the limber A is so distributed that its center of gravity is disposed on the side nearest the pole as regards a vertical plane through the wheel axle E.

In the caisson B the wheel-axle G is carried in the frame-work J on which rests the ammunition-box H. Here also is the weight of the parts distributed in the manner above indicated.

To couple the limber and thecaisson to gether there is provided a pintle hook K, rigidly attached to the frame-work D and of which the pintle k hooks into the eye M which is rigidly attached to the tongue or shaft J of the caisson. The pintle-hook K has on its rear end a projecting ridge providing a striking surface L shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which can engage with a complementary part m of the projection m at the lower side of the eye piece M.

The pole F has a shoe F connected with the limber frame-work D in the following manner: On the end of the frame-work D,

nearest the shaft is placed a disk (Z Through a centrally bored hole (Z (Fig. 3) of this disk, runs a loose and rearwardly disposed bolt N. The bolt has a half spherical head a which fits within a correspondingly shaped socket f in the end plate f of the pole-shoe F The diameter of the disk f is somewhat smaller than that of the disk al The bolt N is under the influence of a column of compressed disk springs P arranged as indicated in the drawing (Fig. The described connection between the pole F and the frame-work D permits of a movement of the pole against the frame-work around any one point on the circumference of the disk f as fulcrum. Two tapered studs (Z placed diametrically opposite each other on the disk (Z and projecting into suitably shaped and slightly larger holes f in the disk f serve as guides for the pole.

WVhen driving on level ground, the parts of the artillery vehicle take respectively the positions shown in Fig. 1. The limber has,

. in consequence of the above mentioned position of its center of gravity, a tendency to tilt around the wheel axle in the direction of the arrow X (Fig. 1). It is, however, prevented from such movement by the working together of the two striking surfaces 70 of, which endeavor to take such a mutual position that the pole will lie horizontally or substantially so. When driving over inclined ground, the pole F will take such a position, that its center line will fall in a plane practically parallel to the surface of the ground. By the arrangement of the said striking faces k m there is also attained the advantage that the horses will be unburdened of the pressure of the pole. Should the horses, however, be within a depression in the ground with relation to where the four wheels of the vehicle are, as for instance when driving over a wavy or rough surface then the pull of the horses on the pole produces a force that efiects to bring the striking faces 711 m out of the position which they mutually endeavor to assume. Such an effect of the pull from the horses, will cause the pole to yield. Said pole tilts thereby, together with the disk f of the shoe F around a point al on the disk (Z guided by the studs (Z This tilting movement is transferred through the bolt N by means of its head 77, against the action of the disk springs P. The yielding connection of the pole with the limber prevents also any breaking of the pole from the action of the pull of the horses. As soon as the component of the forces of the horses pull, falling on the aXis of the pole, is equal to naught, then the bolt N and with it also the pole F will be drawn back in their middle position through the action of the disk springs P.

By the described improvement of the member serving as coupling between the limber and the caisson, in connection with the yielding union of the pole and the framework of the front carriage, there is produced an artillery vehicle wherein the draftanimals will be free from the pole-pressure and without diminishing the sure turning of the vehicle.

It is self evident that, in place of a caisson a gun carriage may be attached, without altering anything in the substance of the invention.

hat is claimed is 1. An artillery vehicle, comprising a twowheeled front carriage and a two-wheeled detachable rear carriage; a coupling stiff in the vertical plane and yielding in the horizontal plane between said front carriage and said rear carriage; a pole for said front carriage, and connections between said front carriage and said pole, said connections being situated in the front carriage and constructed to yield when said pole is subjected to undue strain in any direction, and said pole and said connections returning to their n0rmal position at the termination of said strain.

2. An artillery vehicle comprising a twowheeled front carriage and a two wheeled rear carriage, a shaft on the rear carriage, a hori zontally yielding coupling between the front carriage and the shaft having striking sur- 4:. An artillery Vehicle comprising a limber and a rear carriage, a horizontally yielding coupling between said limber and said rear carriage, and a pole yieldingly mounted on said limber, said yielding pole mounting comprising a bolt having a semi-spherical head, a socket piece having a surface formed complementary to the bolt head, and a resilient sustaining means mounted on the bolt.

5. An artillery vehicle comprising a limber and a rear carriage, a horizontally yieldmg coupling between said limber and said rear carriage, and a pole yieldingly mounted on said limber, said yielding pole mounting comprising a pair of disk-plates carried by the limber and the pole respectively and adapted to lie in intimate contact, interengaging elements holding said plates in proper relative position, a bolt having a semi-spherical head mounted on the limber, a socket piece carried by the tongue and having a surface formed complementary to and in engagement with the bolt head, and a plurality of spring elements mounted on said bolt and effecting the resilient connection between the limber and the tongue.

The foregoing specification signed at Barmen, Germany, this 28th day of September, 1910.

CHAS. J. WRIGHT, lVAL'rER VONNEGUT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

